Evaluation of an Intervention Program for the Control of an Outbreak of Shigellosis among Institutionalized Persons

After control measures were initiated to stop an outbreak of shigellosis in an institution for the developmentally disabled, there was a sharp decline in the number of cases of Shigella sonnei infection. Among ill residents, those treated with antibiotics had shorter mean duration of diarrhea (2.4 v...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of infectious diseases 1993-11, Vol.168 (5), p.1177-1180
Main Authors: Mahoney, Francis J., Farley, Thomas A., Burbank, Deregal F., Leslie, Norman H., McFarland, Louise M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Antibiotics
Bacillary dysentery
Bacterial diseases
Bacterial diseases of the digestive system and abdomen
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Child, Preschool
Developmental disabilities
Diarrhea
Disabled Persons
Disease Outbreaks
Dysentery, Bacillary - drug therapy
Dysentery, Bacillary - epidemiology
Dysentery, Bacillary - prevention & control
Epidemiology
Evaluation Studies as Topic
Human bacterial diseases
Humans
Infant
Infectious diseases
Institutional Practice
Institutionalization
Long-Term Care
Louisiana - epidemiology
Major Articles
Medical sciences
Patient Isolation
Preventive medicine
Residential segregation
Shigella
Shigella sonnei
Shigella sonnei - pathogenicity
Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination - therapeutic use
Washing
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Summary:After control measures were initiated to stop an outbreak of shigellosis in an institution for the developmentally disabled, there was a sharp decline in the number of cases of Shigella sonnei infection. Among ill residents, those treated with antibiotics had shorter mean duration of diarrhea (2.4 vs. 4.5 days, P < .01) and were less likely to have stool cultures positive for shigellae 2–4 weeks after onset of diarrhea (0/25 vs. 5/19; relative risk [RR] = undefined; P = .02). The attack rate was higher in villageswhere segregation of ill residents was not practiced (46/73 vs. 53/155; RR = 1.8; 95% confidence limits [CL], 1.4, 2.4). In individual housing units where ill residents were not segregated (preintervention), a correlation was found between mean duration of diarrhea and unit attack rates (r = .88; 95% CL, 0.29, 0.99). A study of all 305 residents 10 weeks after the intervention began revealed no positive stool cultures.
ISSN:0022-1899
1537-6613
DOI:10.1093/infdis/168.5.1177